AOA Blog

Well, it’s that time of year again, when visions of shiny new airguns dance in airgunners’ heads. While I certainly hope that you get some gift that makes your heart swell with joy, I’ve been thinking lately about some gifts that we might give to bring others joy.

Give a part to a fellow airgunner. Scarcely a week goes by on one of the airgun forums but some airgunner sends out a plea that he needs some screw, nut, or other small bit for one of his airguns. If you happen to be in possession of the needed part, consider slipping it into an envelope and send it to him with your best wishes. An airgunner did this for me a few years ago. I smile every time I think of it, and the donor enjoys a warm spot in my heart forever.

Make nice with the neighbors. If you are on good terms with your neighbors and are taking up airgunning, you might let them know, in the nicest and friendliest way, that you are doing so. You might say something like: “Fred (or Bob or whoever), if you see me in the back yard with a rifle, it’s not a firearm. I’ve taken up shooting a quiet, low-powered airgun. It’s perfectly legal (check to make sure that it is where you live).  I am as concerned about safety as you are, so I’ll be shooting into a pellet trap that captures the pellets and prevents ricochets, and I’ll always shoot in a safe direction.” If your neighbor expresses an interest in your airgun, you might even invite him to shoot with you some time.

Teach someone to shoot. One of the nicest, most generous things you can do is to teach someone to shoot.  Those of us who have been shooting for a while may have forgotten that initial thrill of pulling the trigger and seeing a hole appear in the target. I had this forcefully brought home to me a couple of years ago when the nice folks at Airguns of Arizona brought me out to the NRA show in Phoenix. In one of the big rooms upstairs, there was an airgun shooting range with about 20 lanes for shooters. A couple of parents brought a ten year old girl into the room and asked her if she would like to try shooting an air rifle. “I don’t like guns,” she said. One of the fellows on the shooting line said, “Just try one shot, and if you don’t like it, you can quit, okay?” She said okay and started to settle in behind one of the guns, and I went off to check out some of the guns further on down the line. A little while later I wandered back up the line, and this time the girl was having a different problem – she didn’t want to get off the gun. “Just let me shoot a few more pellets!” A new shooter had been born, and now she has a lifetime of shooting fun to enjoy.

Donate an airgun to a youth shooting program. Checking around my area, I find that most youth shooting programs are low on equipment and funds. If you want to be extravagantly cool and generous, give an air rifle or air pistol to a youth shooting program in your area. They will thank you for it, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to train the next generation of shooters.

Cut a forum poster some slack. Since this is the time of year for Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men, you might consider digging deeply into your reserves of courtesy and friendliness when dealing with on-line airgun forums. Most airgunners who post are polite, but occasionally you’ll run into someone who is either dreadfully misinformed or exceedingly grumpy. Either way, they come off as wrong-headed. Nevertheless, when that happens, give them an extra helping of courtesy and deal with them politely. We’ll all benefit from that.

If you have your own ideas for gifts we can give each other, I’d love to hear them.

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott